Automatic train-stop.



O. P. ALLEN.

AUTOMATIC TRAIN 'STOR APPLICATION man 02:.11, 191s.

' Patented July 31, 1917.-

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- I '0. P. ALLEN. I AUTOMAHC TRAIN STOP- APPLICATION FILED DEC. 11, I916- 41,234,712.

Patented July 31, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEEI' 2.

OLIVER 1?. ALLEN, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

AUTOMATIC TRAIN-STOP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 31, 1917.

Application filed December 11, 1916. Serial No. 136,291.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER P. ALLEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Train- Stops; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the'art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to improvements in automatic train stops, and more particularly consists in a device for automatically applying the air brakes on railway trains when one or more trucks of the cars are derailed; and in further providing means for catching falling brake beams, which at present are found to be a source of numerous derailments.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved framework which is extended beneath the brake beams and shaped so as to catch the same in case they become detached from their hangings and forming this framework in an improved way to receive the device for automatically applying the air brakes when the trucks which carry the framework are derailed to either side of the track.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel details of construction and combinations of parts more fully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, and in which similar reference symbols indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view of a railway car, with parts shown in section, and indicating the trucks of the car as in the act of derailment.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of one pair of the car trucks with parts shown in section and my improved train stop applied thereto.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the framework and air brake device; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the head of the air brake device.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 designates generally a railway car; 2 the usual train pipe with which all types of railway cars are equipped; 3' and 4 the wheels supporting said car; .5 and 6 the upper and lower bolsters, respectively, of the car trucks, which are separated by the springs 7; and 8 and 9 designate the brake beams, which carry the brake shoes 10 and 11.

My invention consists in the device illustrated more particularly in Fig. 3, and which is mounted on both sides of the car trucks, as indicated in Fig. 1, such frames carrying ClGVlOQS, forengaging the rails in case the car is derailed to either side of the track.

This frame consists preferably of flat bar metal having one of its members bent to form a vertical branch 12 and a horizontal branch 13, .which, as advantageously disclosed in Fig. 2, are bolted or otherwise secured to the lower bolster 6, the upper end of the branch 12 having a sliding fit through a clamp 14 secured to the upper bolster 5. At its outer end the horizontal branch 13 is bent substantially U-shaped, as indicated at 15, and extends beneath the brake beam 9 in a position to catch and support the same in case it becomes detached from its hangings'and falls.

A second member of the improved framework includes a pair of horizontal arms 16 and 17, connected at one side by a vertical arm 18. The arm 17 has its end bent down wardly as shown at 19, and fastened by suitable means 20 to the vertical branch 12. The lower arm 16 adjacent the lower end of the branch 12, is bent substantially U- shaped, as at 21, and extends beneath the other brake beam 8 in a position to catch the same in case it becomes detached and falls. Beyond the U-shaped part 21 the arm 16 is formed with an extension 22 lying beneath the horizontal branch 13, and secured thereto as by a rivet or other means 23.

The openings 24 and 25 in the horizontal branch 13, as shown in Fig. 3, are provided for the passage of bolts or other securing means 26 and 27, as illustrated in Fig. 2, whereby these parts are connected beneath the lower bolster 6 of the car truck. There is also a perforation 28 near the lower end of the vertical branch 12, which is provided to receive a bolt or similar means 29 for attaching the same to a flange of the lower In the horizontal arms 16 and 17 of the framework are formed slots 30 and 31, and in the lower arm 16, adjacent said slot 30, are formed half-bearings 32 and 33, provicled by' depressing the material of said arm downwardly. Similarly, adjacent the slot 31, the arm 17 is shaped with halfbearings 34 and 35. These half-bearings receive the trunnions of rollers 36, 37 and 38, 39, which are held therein by the detachable complementary half-bearings 46, 41, and 42, 43. The rollers 36, 37, and 38, 39, are of enlarged diameter over their trunnions, and revolve freely in the slots 30 and 31, respectively, they being spaced apart sufficiently to receive therebetween a vertically reciprocating bar 44, which has its opposite edges in contact with said rollers. These rollers, therefore, ease the passage of the reciprocating bar 44 through the slots 30 and 31,. and prevent any tendency of the bar to bind therein or to be frictionally retarded.

The. arms 16 and 17 substantially centrally of the slots 30 and 3 1, are bent outwardly, as at 46 and 48, to admit the enlarged' head 58 of the bar 44 when assemblingthe parts. Thebar 44 carries a transverse bolt 45, which rests on the arm 16 of the framework, as clearly illustrated in Fig; 3, and by this bolt 45 the bar 44 is supported in the normal position here shown.

There is also a bolt 47 carried by the upper end of the bar 44. As shown in Fig. 3, however, this bolt 47 is held elevated from the arm- 17 and is inoperative except when the bolt 45 becomes broken, inwhich case the bar 44 will drop by gravity until the bolt 47 engages the arm 17, when such downward. movement will be thereby arrested.

At the bottom of the bar 44 extends, at right angles, a foot 49, in which isa slot for receiving a roller-50. The reduced trunnions in this roller 50' are fitted upwardly beneath halfbearings 5'1 and 52, which are made an integral part of the foot 49, and are provided by' displacing the material of said foot upwardly in the'semicircular manneralsobest illustrated in Fig. 3. Cooperatingwith these half-bearings 51 and 52 are similar half-bearings, one of which, 53, is illustrated in Fig. 3', and which are carried on metal straps and bent to embrace the ends of thefoot 49 and secured thereto in any suitable manner, as by the bolts 56 and 57.

Referring nowmore particularly to Fig. 4 and Fig. 3 in conjunctiontherewith, the bar has at its-upper end an enlarged circular and threadedliead 58, to which i's-removably attached one branch ofa T-coupling'59; The opposite branch of this T'- coupling receives a glass or other frangible closed cap 60, having a basal flange 61 fitted against a gasket 62, which rests on a shoulder 63 projecting into the interior of said coupling; Above the flange 61 and securing the several parts removably in place, is a nut 65 surrounding the frangible cap 66 and threaded into this branch of the T- coupl'ing 59. There is also a gasket 64 interposed between the nut 65 and flange 61 to prevent injury to the frangible material. As it becomes necessary after breakage to substitute subsequent frangible caps 60, the nut 65 may be readily unscrewed and the fragments of the broken capremoved, after which afresh cap is placed therein and thenut 65 returned to the position shown in Fig. 4.

ft is to be understood, and will be clear from an inspection of Fig.1, that each of the frameworks, which are identical on both sides of the trucks, carry these reciprocating bars 44 and frangible devices, and the horizontal branches 66' of the T-coupl ings 59 are coupled to the outer ends of flexible hose 67 and 68, which containsufiieient slack to enable the bars 44, which carry the T-couplings 59, to move up and down in the frameworks freely and without restraint. The hose 67 and 68 run to angle cocks '69 and 70, supported beneath the car 1 in any suitable manner and at any suitable points. The angle cocks are placed in communica tionwith the train pipe 2 by short lengths of pipe7-l and 72, and the various pipec'olrplings may be of any suitable variety.

In the operation of my present invention, the parts will be assembled substantially as shown in the drawings, and ina manner which it is believed will be entirely clear from the foregoing description, they being mounted on the truck of the car and coupled to the train pipe 2', after which the angle cocks 69 and 7 O are opened to the desired extent to permit the compressed air in the train pipe 2 to flow through the various connections and into the T'-couplings 59 and frangible caps 60. The above will bathe condition during normal running, and it is understood that the gaskets 62 and 64 pro'- vide effective means for preventing the leakage of any ofthe compressed air, so that the devices will not interfere" with the ordinary operation of the air brake system by the engineer. a

lVhen, however, one' or'more trucks of a car leave the rails, as indicated in Fig." 1, one or the other of the. feet 49, which are disposed at opposite sides of'thecar trucks just within the-wheels, will be engaged by the rail, as indicated tothe left in Fig 1, and as the car descends disconnected bar 44 will thereby be elevated through the slots 30 and 31, its passage being eased by the rollers 36, 37 and 38, 39, until tlie'whe'els 3and 4 of the car rest upon theties; B'efore this condition isv reached, however, the

frangible cap 60'will be brought forcibly against the buffer; strap 7 3, and will be broken by the impact, thusopening the train pipe 2 to the atmosphere and allowing the compressed air therein to be exhausted in a manner which will set thebrakes, as will be understood by those skilled in this art. In

the buffer strap 73 there is preferably pro when the cocks are open wide, or only at avery slow rate when these cocks are considerably cut down.

When a car or a truck has been replaced on the rails after a frangible cap has been broken in consequence of a derailment, one or more of the cocks 69, 70, may be turned off to prevent the air in the system from es caping through the broken cap, and the train may then proceed. The cock or cocks 69, 70, are allowed to remain closed until the broken cap is replaced.

From the positioning of the two devices, as shown in Fig. 1, it is entirely clear that it will be immaterial to which side the de-' railment takes place, and from the above description it will be clear that the brakes are automatically set while the trucks are in the act of derailment, and therefore there is no time lost in the application of the brakes; and for this reason the device is adapted to reduce to a minimum fatalities and damages from accidents of this character.

The improved device also eliminates another source of danger by providing means for catching the brake beams and preventing the same from getting down between the wheels of the cars when they become disconnected.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction and arrangements of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention, and therefore I do not wish to be limited to such features except as may be required by the claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with a railway car having a train pipe and a brake beam, of a frame carried on said car, means provided by said frame for catching the brake beam, and means supported by said frame for setting the brakes when the car is derailed, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a railway car having a train pipe and a brake beam, of a frame carried on said car, means provided by said frame for catching the brake beam, and means supported by said frame for applying the car brakes when the car is derailed including a frangible device in connection with the, air in the train pipe, sub: stantially as described. I

The combination with a car having a train pipe and'a brake-beam, of a frame carried on said car, means provided by the frame for catching said brake beam, and means supported bysaid frame for applying the brakes when the car is derailed including a movable bar, a frangible device carried by said movable bar and in communication with the train pipe, said bar adapted to be moved by a derailment to strike the frangible device against a part of the frame,substantially as described.

4. The combination with a car having a train pipe and brake beams, of aframe carried on said car, means provided on said frame for catching the brake beams, a movable bar supported in the frame, a frangible device on said bar, comiections between said frangible device and the train pipe, and an abutment on the frame against which said frangible device is designed to be broken, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a car having a train pipe and brake beams, of a pair of frames located one at each side of said car, means provided by said frames for catching said brake beams, members in said frames adapted to be moved when derailment takes place, and frangible devices in connection with the train pipe and adapted to be broken to permit escape of the air and the application of the brakes when one or more of the members are moved by a derailment, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a car having a train pipe, of a frame carried by said car and having guideways therein, a bar movable in said guideways, a foot on said bar for engaging a rail, a frangible device in connection with the train pipe, and an abutment against which said frangible device will be broken when the bar is moved, substantially as described.

7 The combination with a car having a train pipe, of a frame carried by said car, guideways in said frame, a bar movable through said guideways, a foot on saidbar for engaging a rail, a frangible device carried on said bar, means placing said frangible device in communication with the train pipe, a valve in said connection, and an abutment on said frame against which said frangible device will be broken when the bar is moved, substantially as described.

8. The combination with a car having a train pipe, of a frame carried thereby, guideways in said frame, a bar slidable in said guideways, rollers bearing against said bar, a foot carried by said bar, a roller in said foot for engaging a rail, a frangible device in connection with the train pipe, and an abutment against which said frangible device is adapted to be broken when the bar is moved, substantially as described.

9. The combination with a railway car having a train pipe,- of a frame carried by said ear, guideways on said frame, a bar slidable in said guideways, a projection on said bar for engaging said frame to prevent the disengagement of said bar from said guideways, a second projection on said bar for engaging Wiish the frame when the first projection is broken, and a frangible device in connection with the train pipe and adapted to be broken when the bar is shifted, substantially as described.

10. The combination with a railway car Copies of this patent may be obtained for having a brain pipe, brake beams, and trucks including bolsters, a frame secured to one of said bolsters, guide means on the other bolster for'movably engaging said frame, means on saidframe for catching falling brake beams, a movable bar on said frame, a frangible deV'iGe carried by said bar and in connection. with the train pipe, an abutmerit carried by said frame against which said frangible device is adapted to be broken when said bar is moved, and a foot on said 7 bar for engaging a rail to drive the bar upwardly, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

OLIVER P. ALLEN.

@ve cents each, by addressing the commission-er of Patents, Wuhinton D 6. 

